1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electronic circuits and, more particularly, to electronic circuits which include switched capacitor circuitry.
2. Description of the Related Art
For high performance signal conditioning systems, most analog circuits use dual output differential amplifiers. Differential amplifiers amplify the difference between positive and negative input signals and allow the rejection of noise from the substrate and clock signals coupled to the amplifier. However, differential amplifiers also amplify the average of the positive and negative input signals which is generally referred to as the common-mode.
The common-mode limits the common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) which is defined as the ratio of the differential mode gain to the common-mode gain. Hence, the CMRR can be increased by decreasing the common-mode gain. In differential amplifiers, the common-mode gain can be reduced by including a common-mode feedback loop. In some differential amplifiers, the feedback loop can include switched capacitor circuits as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,301 or as disclosed in D. A. Johns and K. Martin, Analog Integrated Circuit Design, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1997, Pgs 287–291.
Switched capacitor circuits typically include a number of switches coupled to capacitors where the switches are configured to alternately store and transfer charge between the capacitors. When the switched capacitor circuit is coupled to the differential amplifier, the capacitors can sense the average or common-mode of the output and then compare the average with a desired common-mode. The difference between the average common-mode and the desired common-mode can be used in a feedback loop which drives the difference to zero.
The switches are designed to alternate between two phases or operational modes to control the amplification of the input signals. In some applications, the amplifier is active during a first phase so the common-mode in a second phase is not as critical. However, it may still be desired to control the common-mode during both phases for several reasons. One reason is that the common-mode in the second phase should settle to the common-mode in the first phase to minimize any delays.
Another reason is that in some applications, both the first and second phases are used to amplify the signal. This is often referred to as “amplifier sharing” where it is desired to have the same common-mode for both phases so that the amplification is constant. Hence, it is desired to have the same common-mode when switching between phases to minimize the dependence of the output signal on the common-mode.
The common-mode level at the amplifier's output can vary due to changes in the common-mode feedback circuit. Small errors within the common-mode feedback circuit are multiplied by the common-mode error gain to provide a common-mode error that varies from one clock phase to the next. These common-mode variations reduce the available signal range for differential amplifiers which is further reduced as circuit supply voltages are reduced. Hence, the common-mode and the common-mode error gain are a concern for low power and portable electronic applications.